WWE News: Very Latest on Randy Orton Injury and His Expected Return Date

Smackdown has been missing a huge piece of its puzzle over the last few weeks. 

I’m talking, of course, about Randy Orton, who has been out of commission since late December after suffering a herniated disc in his lower back. While other guys (Daniel Bryan and Sheamus, for example) have stepped up in Orton’s absence, Friday nights just aren’t the same without “The Viper.” 

That’s especially true when you consider that the Royal Rumble is right around the corner and Orton should play a huge role in the pay-per-view. However, that all depends on how well he’s recuperating from his injury and whether or not he’ll make it back for the show. 

Here is the very latest on Orton’s injury status and expected return date, courtesy of F4Wonline.com (via SEScoops.com): 

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Randy Orton, who is currently recuperating from a herniated disc, has been pulled from advertising for next week’s Raw SuperShow in Anaheim, California and SmackDown in Las Vegas, Nevada. Nonetheless, he is still booked full-time beginning with the January 23 Raw SuperShow in Phoenix, Arizona. 

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Even though Orton mentioned on Twitter that he's vacationing in the Bahamas, that’s still very interesting to say the least. 

Though Orton is no longer advertised for tonight’s episode of Monday Night Raw, it does look like—for the moment—he’s expected to return on next week’s Raw. Maybe it’s just me, but I really don’t see that happening. 

Why bring Orton back on free TV the week before the Royal Rumble? Why not hold off on his return another six days and have him return at the pay-per-view? 

I would assume that, despite the advertisements that may indicate otherwise, the plan is to bring Orton back at the Rumble as a “surprise entrant” in the 30-man match. The only way it would make sense to do something different is if Orton’s return comes after the PPV rather than before it. 

It wouldn’t exactly be a smart decision to bring Orton back next Monday, spoil the surprise and then have him compete in the 30-man Rumble match. Even if it’s kind of expected that Orton is going to return in his hometown of St. Louis, it will be much better for WWE storylines going forward if that’s exactly what happens. 

A return on Raw is just a normal return, but a return at the Royal Rumble is one that will blow the roof off the building.

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